Thato Toeba has been named the winner of the 2025 FNB Art Prize, one of the continent’s most prestigious contemporary art honours. Awarded annually by FNB Art Joburg, the prize celebrates artists whose work not only resonates visually but also contributes meaningfully to Africa’s cultural landscape.
Toeba’s selection marks a powerful recognition of an artist whose voice is as intentional as it is layered. The 2025 jury — comprising Kim Kandan, Kenneth Montague, and Janine Gaëlle Dieudji — praised Toeba’s work for its “clarity of vision,” “formal maturity,” and “material richness.” The use of collage and assemblage is both deliberate and layered, allowing for a visual language that is conceptually clear and materially rich.
“There is a distinct sense of control in how they handle composition, texture and text,” said the jury. “What set Toeba apart was the considered pace of their trajectory and the quiet force behind their work.”
Originally trained as a lawyer, Toeba made the bold decision to leave the profession to pursue art — a move that disappointed her family at first. Her turning point came during her participation in Where Do I Begin?, a group show curated by Alex, where she began to feel the call toward creative expression.
“I didn’t even sell anything,” Toeba reflected. “But when I came back, I told my sister I was done. To now be recognised among the artists who’ve won this prize is such an honour to me.”
Hailing from Lesotho, where the contemporary art ecosystem is still growing, Toeba described the win as a moment of personal and collective affirmation.
“When I started five years ago, I felt insecure about whether I was truly an artist. This feels like an answer to that,” she said. “It’s a momentous mark of an end to my beginnings.”
According to FNB Art Joburg Managing Director Mandla Sibeko, Toeba’s work is especially vital in today’s fast-moving visual culture.
“In a time when quick visuals and surface-level messages are everywhere, Thato’s work is careful, considered, and honest about complexity,” said Sibeko. “That makes it not only important but necessary — especially now.”
Using found imagery, personal textures, and an emotionally layered aesthetic, Toeba’s work engages themes of identity, history, and power. It doesn’t dictate one message — instead, it invites viewers to pause, reflect, and connect in unexpected ways.
As winner of the 18th FNB Art Prize, Toeba will receive a cash prize and a solo exhibition at the Johannesburg Art Gallery — home to the largest public art collection on the African continent — set to open in 2026.
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